How to
To enable the backports in Linux Mint 13, follow the steps below:
1. Open the “Software Sources” tool from “Menu -> Preferences -> Software Sources”
2. Click on the “Backported packages (backports)” checkbox as illustrated in the picture below
3. Launch the “Update Manager” from “Menu->Administration->Update Manager”
4. Select all level 1, 2 and 3 updates
5. Click on “Install Updates”
Once you’re finished installing the updates, restart your computer.
Enjoy FAQ
- Why isn’t this happening automatically via the “main” components of the repositories?
It’s an opt-in. Some people are interested in getting the latest
features (and they can follow the easy steps described above). Others
prefer not to change what already works. By using the backports
component of the repositories, which are disabled by default, people
have the choice to upgrade these components or to keep them from being
upgraded.
As with every upgrade and new version of software, there is a risk of
regression. These upgrades have been thoroughly tested in Petra and are
known to work in Maya, but the decision to stick with the current
versions or to upgrade to the newer ones is entirely yours. Note that
both versions are available in the Linux Mint 13 repositories (via main
and backports) and that although the process is a bit tedious, it is
possible to downgrade all or some packages back to their original
versions.
- Will these backports also find their way into LMDE?
Yes, LMDE will receive these backports as well as a major upgrade called Update Pack 8 in January 2014.Upgrade NotesCinnamon 2.0:

Cinnamon 2.0 no longer needs nautilus or gnome-session-fallback.
Feel free to remove these components. If you don’t need support for
bluetooth and wacom tablets you can also remove gnome-control-center.

Make sure to install mint-meta-cinnamon to retrieve all the new important packages coming with Cinnamon 2.0

Cinnamon 2.0 uses a Cinnamon backend. Your current settings applied
to the GNOME backend, so you will lose your default Cinnamon
configuration.

MATE 1.6:

MATE 1.6 uses gsettings. Your current MATE settings are stored in
mateconf. You will lose your MATE configuration during this upgrade.

MDM 1.4:

MDM triggers the installation of numlockx. This may activate numlock
on your behalf. If on a laptop you find yourself unable to type your
password, please make sure to disable numlock. You only have to do it
once. After that, your preference is configurable in MDM.

Make sure to upgrade “ubuntu-system-adjustments”

Make sure to install the package “mint-mdm-themes”

Make sure to restart your computer after the upgrade, especially if you upgrade MDM.